DON'T NSLOW DOW

DON’T SLOW DOWN

Heb. 12:1-2a Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.  NLT

      First, you are not alone in your faith.  It may seem like it at times, but there are a lot of people just like you who have faith.  They are everywhere you go.  You may not know who they are, but they are there alongside of you and surrounding you.  Don’t believe the lie of Satan that you are the only one who believes.

       Since we are part of a huge cloud of witnesses, let us get rid of everything that keeps us from moving forward in our faith.  Sin can easily creep in and wrap itself around our souls and squeeze the life out of us.  Let us be sure that we confess all our sins and keep our souls pure.  A sin-laded soul moves very slowly. 

      There are many other things that can slow us down as well in our spiritual progress.  We can get caught up into earthly concerns and neglect our souls.  We can pursue earthly pleasures instead of feeding our souls.  We can live as if we were lord of our lives instead of Jesus.  We can procrastinate on pursuing godly living to the point where we never get it done.  We can believe the lie that there is always tomorrow to take our faith seriously.  We can get careless and fill our minds with false teachings.  We can fail to keep our souls in shape as we go.

       In order to run well the race of life, we must be free of all the baggage that slows us down.  We must be in good spiritual condition.  We must never lose sight of Christ who is the author and finisher of our salvation.  A race well run is one run with purpose and zeal.  It demands our best effort.  It demands our total focus.  It demands that we run with perseverance until we win.

     There are many reasons why people may slow down: looking around you at others instead of on your goal—Jesus, not being in good shape (improper diet, too much food), lack of purpose, not being in a proper frame of mind, etc.

      No one who starts out in faith can lose their faith if their faith is focused on Jesus alone.  Get rid of everything that may slow you down or distract you.  Run with all you got to win the prize, Jesus Christ our Lord.